Braiding-machine.



R. c. RAHM.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-8, I9I4.

Patented May 9, 1916.

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iiNTTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT CARL RAI-IM, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 TEXTILEMACHINE WORKS, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

BRAIDING-MACHINE.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT CARL RAHM, a citizen of the United `States,residing at Vyoinissing, in the county\ of Berks and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certainl new and useful Improvements inBraiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines suchas are commonly employed forproducing braided fabrics and consists in an improved constructioncomprising a circularly grouped series of carrier courses whichrespectively overlap each other, upon which several series of carriersare operated, as fully described in connection withythe accompanyingdrawings, the novel featres being specifically pointed out in theclairns.Y`

Figure 1 is a plan view indicating the main portion of a machine of thebraiding typein which my invention is enibodied'r-in preferred `form;the normal courses of the.`l several series of carriers being shown.Figs.

2 and 3 are corresponding diagrammatic views indicating certainvariations in tlie travel lof the carriers upon'the several courses asdetermined by operation of the switch mechanism provided. Fig. 4 indi-Cates a piece of fabric of varying cross-sec tion producible upon myimproved niachine. Fi'gs. 5 and 6 are enlarged crosssections on thelines 5-5 and G-G respectively of Fig. L1. Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive arediagrammatic views indicating how the relation of the stripes is varied.

The machine indicated in the drawings is a square stripe-braider,adapted to normally produce a fabric which is square in crosssection asindicated in Fig. 5; such braid being-provided, when desired, with acentral filler or warp, as is indicated at 2 in Fig. 5, though thisfiller may be omitted particularly in the special braiding of variedcross-section indicated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

The machine is provided with four similar ,carrier courses, markedrespectively a b c and cl, arranged in a linked Iseries around a centralplate-.portion which is provided wi,th,fan opening 5 adapted to serve asa /filler or-warp passage-way. Each of these Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed August 8, 1914. Serial No. 855,751.

courses intersects two adjacent courses of the circularly arrangedseries of courses, `at points 6 7, 6 7, and extends into them so as toform what I term overlapping portions 8 of. the courses; each of saidoverlapping portions embracing, as indicated, two linking racejcircles,101, 10a, of the respective intersecting courses, which circles may beout out of said courses by carrier-switchlng means when desired.

hEach of the courses i b c and d is provided with a series of carriers,marked respectively el b1 c1 and d1, which traverse their own coursesonly (Fig. 1) to produce a product of. square section such as indicatedin Fig. 5; all of the carriers however being cooperatively driven asusual by a train of carrier drive gears 10, 10a. The gears 10 are somarked to distinguish them as being located within the overlappingportions of the courses, and also as being provided with warp-threadopenings 11, through which warp-threads adapted to serve as linkingconnections may be passed; it beipg understood however that all of thegears may advantageously be provided with such openings so as to permitof employing filling warps when desired. The separate series of carriersoperating upon adjacent courses are respectively carried around suchwarp threads at 10", 10 when the separate products of the differentseries of carriers are to be linked together in tubular form asindicated in Fig. 5; while warp threads at other points may be utilizedwhen the normal course of the carriers is changed, as hereinafterdescribed.

In making a product of square section as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5. theseveral series of carriers e b1 c1 fl thus produce stripes forming thefour walls of the fabric, upon their respective courses a, c and (l,while the warp threads which pass through the drive gears 10n serve tolink together said walls at the four corners. To provide for givinggreater body or strength to the fabric, a filler or core warp may besupplied through the central passageway 5, around which filler theseveral series of carriers forming the inclosing walls will operate;additional liller or warp threads bemachine.

ing introduced it desired, through any or all ci the drive By employingdifferent yarns upon the several series of carriers, the stripes formingthe u'alls ot a tuhularly-ormed product. such as has been described, maybe attractively Yvaried in color or appearance as desired. My inventionhowever provides for also varying the form or cross-section of thefabric produced; this being accomplished hy diverting the carrierstemporarily from their normal courses so as to produce ditferentdetermined ellects, as will novv he described` 1illhen the carriers alon course a, reach the point of intersection 6 with the adjacent courseb, provision is made for diverting them, hy means ot a switch 1.5 asindicated, from their normal course a extending across into course b; sothat instead of traveling around the Warp threads extending through theopenings in drive gears l()a of the. overlapping portions 8, the;v willtravel (see Fig. 3) on the course 7) an equal distance., to the point ofintersection 7, Where another switch 20 is provided to return them totheir normal course a. The connecting warp threads at 1()a betweencourses a'. end b, being thus cut out, a dat instead of tuhularly formedproduct will result. ther warps may he introduced to give desired Jfornito the edging stripes of the flat fabric.

As shown in the drawing, similar divert-- ing switches l5, and returningswitches 20, are provided `at all the intersections 6 and 7 oi, theoverlapping courses; a double returning svfitch 202* being convenientlyvused at the common center of thel circularly arranged series of courses,which switch is provided with acentral opening forming the fillerpassage-way 5. Crdinary switchoperating means are provided as indicatedfor automatically setting these' switches required to produce.determined effects.

It will 'he ree-.dily understood that either tubularly-fornied or flatstripe fabrics ot uniforn'i cross-section throughout may thus be readilyproduced as desired. ln addition to this however a changing product ofvaried cross-section at different portions of its length such asindicated in Figs. e, 5, and (i, may be produced on in v improved isaccomplished, by intermittently exchanging the travel of the carriers asindicated in Figs. l, and 3; the product being tubularly formed or liataccording as the cr iers are made to traverse the courses as indicatedin Fig. l, or as indicated in Figs. Q or 3; and the edging stripes orbeads of the fiat sections being varied ecco, ng t e carriers divertedYetvreen cours-s end or rnl c. or c a', or i and f This mechas morespecifically indicated by the diagrammatic vieu's Figs. 7 to 10, fromwhich it will be seen that ii3 dillerently colored yarns are employed ontheseveral series ot carriers these will successively appear on the.edging stripes or heads ol' the different flat sect-ions so as toproduce variegated effects. The carriers on each course may travel inone direct-ion only, thus merely7 t-urninfr the carrier threads aroundthe linking warp threads without crossing them as in ordinary braidingoperations. i

The particular construction shown may obviously be readily modifiedwithout departing from my invention; as for instance by changing thenumber of tuhularly linked courses employed, or the numbers of carriersemployed in the different courses.

lVhat l claim is:

l. A braiding-machine structure comprising s circularly linked series oftubular carrier courses each provided with a separate series of'carriers traveling in one direction only thereon, andcoperating drivegears for all the carriers; each of said' courses crossing eachadjoining course at two points of intersection so as to forni au overlapincluding tivo drive-gear cent-ers, and. the drive gear-seat saidcenters being provided with linking-warp thread openings.

27A braiding-machine structure comprising a circularly linked series oftubular carrier courses each provided with a separate. series ofcarriers traveling in one direction only thereon7 and cooperating drivegears for all the carriers; each of said courses crossing each adjoiningcourse at two points of intersection so as to form an overlap includingtwo drive-gear centers, and the drive gears at said centers beingprovided with linking-Warp thread openings; and switch mechanism forcontrolling the carrier movements at said points of 1ntersection.

o. A braiding-machine structure comprisa plurality ot carriercoursessrranged a fi cular series, separate series of car-- riers forsaid courses, and cooperating drive s therefor, said .coursesintersecting each other so to provide overlaps each olA which includesrare-circles of adjacent courses, and the off said race-circles beingprovient-d uit" iinl' warp thread opening; and switch inf.v nisin forcutting-om. said race-circles their respective courses comprisi e Lieswitch located at the cular s ries of carrier coin d. braiding-inselnlurslity (rc ing each other so as to provide overlaps cular Sei-ies ofcarrier courses and provided each of'which includes race-circles ofadjawith a warp thread opening. 10 cent (courses, and the drive gemis ofeaid In testimony whel'eofI afiix mysignatnre race-circles beingprovided with linking in presence of two witnesses.

warp thread openings; :ind Switch meclm- ROBERT CARL RAUM. nism foi"mting-out said mee-circles from VVitnoss theirr respectivfi com-sesmm1/)rising :l dou- D. M. S'I'lcwixn'r, ble switch located :1t thecenter of Said cir A, M. KURTZ.

